As she talked I got scared. I couldn’t understand how that lovely, petite, human being could handle that much. All what happened since she was dumped by Oak Man, become a thriller, a horror story. With each word, with each event I started to understand what happened to her and all the pieces started to fall in place. I could understand the messages, I could clearly see the big words HELP, HELP ME between the lines. I sensed that things were wrong, but not that wrong. She was very open and in kind of tragic way mixed with calm in her voice she talked and talked, crying between.

The Story

She told me the story of her ex-husband, or rather still a husband. Her life with him, the lack of support of the daughter, unemployment, forcing her to work long hours and by the same trying to be with her daughter. She told me about the administrative and medical complications related to giving birth, and she told me about the day she was kicked out of the apartment altogether with her daughter and niece with the words “Get out, bitch”. She told me the story of being forced to take care of the daughter after that day with basically one suitcase in hand.

She told me the story of Giuseppe being verbally abusing her, manipulating her and somehow using her for his own needs. She was attracted to him and maybe she would stay with him, but each time she moved in she could not breath nor stay there longer then few days. She suffocated, especially since she met me on August 15^th. She was split, pushed and pulled between us two. She was confused, trying to find the best in each of us, weighting the pluses and minuses of each of us. She told me how she cheated both him and me being with me days and him nights. She told me that she walked away, but still could not be free due to the engagement ring she had and the ring was a reason for a guilt, an anchor dragging her down. She had difficulties in saying “No”, assertiveness issues, but each time the situation became worse she reached her hand for help towards me. She needed to balance the feelings to get out of that hell of Giuseppe, and she found kind of stability when being with me. She appreciated the calm aura surrounding our relation, the calm environment, which balanced the upside-down with Giuseppe. As badly she wanted to go away from him, the more persisted he was in manipulating her and putting guilt on her, trying to stop her.

Rewinding now back to the 7^th of September, when she went silent with migraine and headache. At that particular day, when she walked away from Giuseppe, she become so happy and full of hope. She was looking forward to meet me in the evening, and you remember that she never shown up and called herself prostitute the very next day. At that evening, she said, she received a phone call from Sir John, her former boss, asking her to came to his house. She told me the story of Sir John, in my opinion not much Sir, rather motherfucker, but let’s be fair. Day Zero later shown that he became a real gentleman. Obviously, Cherie, after she left Oak Man, started to date online and was approached by Sir John. After some online dating they met and developed a husband-mistress relation, where she was needed as required. On the other hand, Sir John offered her a job and actually she started to receive salary. All that happened early spring this year. She got a job, company car, she dated her boss for shorter emotional encounters, but obviously she was too hot for him to handle. Cherie is a high maintenance woman, with her needs and kinky desires. Obviously, he was looking for somebody more controllable than her. Additionally, the issue with his present wife and teenage kids, didn’t allow him to move forward. Cherie said, they never shown up in public, never had common friends. Some attraction started to build up, she said, but just short visits to his house, when maid was not present were not enough to her. So that particular day, two days ago, when she was happy, he asked her to get to him. She refused. He said “Get here now, otherwise you are finished”. She went there, the same time when she got of the radar with her messages being sparse that evening. She went to Sir motherfucker John and once again he used her for his needs. And once again she didn’t ask for help or advice on what to do at that point. She felt like a hooker, a bitch, a prostitute. Not only thorn between me and Giuseppe, but now half forced and half raped by another player.

She was talking about her actually leaving the job with Sir John’s company, due to his “request for services” attitude. So, when there was indication of lay-offs, she was the first one to walk off, of her own will. A brave, but hard decision. She showed me an agreement with her ex-husband, which forced her to withdraw from all financial alimony from her ex for the rights to see her daughter. With all this she went into financial issues, with her ex-husband not supporting her and rarely her daughter. She used to send some support back home to her family, but now with no job this would not be possible anymore.

I understood the hell she went thru. I did. I was sad and I’m still sad that she was not able to open her mouth and talk earlier. Although grateful she did at that point.

The Plan

After the tears stopped to drop down, we looked to possible solutions. We started with saying good bye to Giuseppe. In a brief text message she told him that she is walking from him definitely and she is happy with me. She asked for being left in peace. He did not respond at that time, probably the hour was late. Few minutes later we did the same with Sir John. Contrary to Giuseppe, the answers came quickly with few angry messages and disbelief. Although Sir John wouldn’t be Sir if after reflection, few hours later he came with sounder replays and even asked how he could help her, wishing her all the best in a sincere way.

We went to my hotel room, she was shaking and she was in really bad condition. At that day, which we called Day Zero, we reset our relation, promised to talk the true, nothing but the true. However, as time shows, we failed with that as well, but that night it was not important. We wanted to proceed forward and build a relation. I remember, I write some notes from that day.

As Day Zero continued, we got into connected state again. Cherie was scared with demons around. She took some drinks and relaxed. We did not make love that night. Further I had to leave early to catch my plane out of city. I asked my friend to look into her time to time and I know she had some additional glass of vodka with him. I asked her not to leave the room during the day and try to go through all the mishap. She gave me her phone in order to deal with Giuseppe when he wakes up following morning. She was not able to face his coming replies. She was so fragile that night, so tired, but a happiness on her face showed a bit later. During my travel that day, I was in touch with her on the other number and she really needed emotional support and lot of conversation to heal from the past. We had a good day.

As I now was in possession with her phone, in a way of “no more secrets” I started to talk to Giuseppe as Cherie would never do. He came with some replies in the morning with lot of “WTF” and similar disbelief messages. From love, “please”, begging to threats, hate and rejection. In between the conversation I was reading the history of that “relation” with him. I was surprised how immature he could be, with his stupid messages. Unfortunately, at some late point Cherie removed all the WhatsApp conversation with, him so I’m not able to quote it exactly nor post screenshots. In my eyes he was just a miserable asshole, not able to behave and handle that kind of woman Cherie has been. In one of topics, regarding her financial situation, when she asked for support with the loan, he said “Maybe I can sell one of my sport cars to repay your loan”. A man of culture as he used to talk about himself, he wrote to her: “I’m good body, good money, good nationality and man of culture”. Really pathetic.

I don’t know what she seen in him then and later, maybe his oratory skills, maybe his dick, maybe just the Italian way of seducing woman with empty promises. She felt into this trap so many times, prior Day Zero as well as later. I tried to explain to Giuseppe her motivation behind her decisions, still he was convinced she talked to Cherie all the time. Through all that day and following two or three days he came with different options from begging, promising, bribing, crying and putting guilt on her. I saved her from reading all this. I handled it pretty well and I had lot of fun, seeing that little boy in his short pants trying to get into her. In my cruel way of revenge, I was systematically and methodically trample and roll him down to the soil, pushing his ego back to the small rathole he came from. As a pest deserves.

I came back in the evening and she felt better. A humble person, kind of withdrawn, but full of hope. I needed to give her all the support and this was my goal. We spend all the evening talking once again about what happened and how to prevent from happening again. She needed lot of positive energy and lot of patience. I was ready and I was able to walk after her into the fire.